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Saturday, June 18, 2011

Green Lantern Review: There are some people out there that are about to tar and feather me.

So I just got back from going to see the all new film, Green Lantern, and I will have to say, it's not THAT bad. Before you get all angry and decide that you will stop reading my blog or hire a killer to come take me out, please, please hear me out. Overall, I do agree with some of the critics out there in that the film is not the best thing in the cinema, but Green Lantern is entertaining and is worth seeing on the silver screen.
Now, I think the best thing to start off with are the honesties. First off, the mask is horrible. Please, Warner Bros, please fix it. It just looks awful! I know that when the first news broke about GL being made into a movie, I was a little excited. When I saw the first images of the costume, I was mortified. "Why?! Why, dammit, why?!", I would scream every time I saw it. Ghastly was all I could use to describe the muscle suit that they CG'ed (computer generated) on Ryan Reynolds. The suit and mask got toned down, the mask, not enough. If GL is to be successful with the all of the crowd, the mask needs to be looked at again.
Second, Green Lantern is not a sci-fi flick. It is a science fiction/ fantasy movie. With that being said, you really (REALLY) have to hang the suspension of disbelief! Just like Geoff Johns writing for the Green Lantern comics, the film is a perfect adaptation of his story telling, and it makes sense considering he is a co-producer on the film. If you like his writing, you will not have a hard time hanging the, "Implausible! That can't happen!", attitude. So think of Mr. John's story telling littered here and there with Ryan Reynold's quietest jokes. The bad jokes are there, do not think that they are not, but they don't stand out so badly as you would expect from a RR flick.
Last, some of the acting could be a little better. Overall, Ryan's run on Hal Jordan is a cross of Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner: Hal's will, Kyle's goofiness. Hal might seem a bit goofy due to the fact of who he is played by. I know that Mr Reynolds was not anyone's first choice, let alone any spot within a hundred picks from Hollywood, but he is watchable, if you can forget who he is. Ryan Reynolds needs to be written a little more seriously if he is to hold onto the Green Lantern/Hal Jordan mantle in the future. Other than the star, Blake Lively does an ok job as Carol Ferris, and Peter Sarsgaard plays a convincing Hector Hammond. I believe the best roles picked has to be that of Mark Strong as Sinestro, Geoffrey Rush as Tomar-re, and Temuera Morrison as Abin Sur. None of which have a lot of screen time, which is sad.
So now that some of the negatively honest remarks are out, there are some rather cool things in the film. If you are a Green Lantern fan, hold on! I saw on Oa, besides for the above mentioned, Stel. I know that there was more actual comic book based characters in the background, I just don't know their names. There was also some play on costume design that might indicate that the movies will one day touch up on the Anti-Monitors. Also, if you stay after the first part of credits, there is a cool scene that will tell you where they are heading with some of the GL story. Does this mean we might see Blake Lively in a Star Sapphire costume? I know that there are some boys who can't wait. But hold on, there's more! John Stewart also has a guest appearance in the film played by Nick Jones Jr.
So film is ok for most, and a lot of fun for fans. It is not the best film out there, and it is not the best story told, but it is a bit of fun if you can afford to let go of reality. I would say that I give this film 3 of 5 stars. I do wish it was a better film, but it is not bad. Now just as a suggestion to Warner Bros. and DC, listen to your fans closely on the next film. Their suggestions and critiques could help you save a new movie character franchise. But as for now, good, average job y'all. Way to go on mediocrity. I'm going out to buy some Green Lantern toys now.

UPDATE: Oh, so I almost forgot! I found the score to be horrific! So bad. There are parts of the film where I forget about the score and just go with the story, and then there are times when the score stands out so much that it just doesn't fit with the movie. I was reminded of this thought as I was putting up the dishes and heard all of the clanking. That should tell you a little about the soundtrack.

About Me

I'm an illustrator, and avid toy collector. I work on two comics currently: Xenex the Bug Man and Unstoppable Force. I love bacon cheeseburgers, burritos and tacos and could literally eat them everyday. When I'm not drawing, I like riding my bike and playing video games with my best friend, Matt.